Dogs Across Italy

For the last week, I've been traveling across Italy. I've always been curious to see if Europe really is as dog-friendly as it's rumored to be. Keep in mind that I've only been to three areas - not really enough places to make sweeping generalizations. But I'm going to make them anyway because it's all I've got to go on. There have been dogs everywhere. The town squares, hotels, in a restaurant, and on the street. I've seen pups and I've seen old dogs. NONE of the dogs have been in a prong or choke collar. Not one. It's fabulous! The odd thing is that I haven't yet seen any of the owners show the dogs any affection. I've even stopped to smile at a dog and owner (my Italian's non-existent) and either the owner doesn't notice or doesn't care about my interest in the dog. On the up-side, all the dogs look very well cared for and are very well behaved. And I've seen only ONE dog on a Flexi! In fact, most of the dogs have been on a two-foot leash! Excellent! I can't figure out how to post pictures on the blog from my iPad, but rest assured, I've been taking A LOT of dog pictures and will have lots of posts when I return! We're off to Germany tomorrow. The hotel owner has a shihtzu and has already offered me free beer in return for some dog training advice!